SWNOVELXO Chapter 146
Chapter 146 – Evidence of Advancement (6)
“The bugs are retreating. Should we chase them?!”
“No, for now, let’s be satisfied with driving them off.”
The bugs that received a fierce counterattack seemed to be taken aback, slowly starting to retreat as they hadn’t expected to be pushed back.
Again charging at the enemies without hesitation was Riena, who calmed the excited soldiers. The variant she had been targeting didn’t make an appearance, so saving the attacked elves was the priority.
‘Indeed, they are strong.’
Alongside them, Eve took a breath, watching Riena and the Arin Tribe warriors with trembling eyes. She had recognized their strength from the first sight, but fighting together made it even clearer. Contrary to the elves’ long-held biases against humans, the Arin Tribe was powerful.
Their warriors using skills powered by mana, as well as the regular soldiers, fought against the bugs without being outmatched, even doing better than the elves.
Certainly, the special equipment made by the hunters contributed to this, but Eve had the discernment to see that it wasn’t everything.
“What exactly is going on, Eve?”
“Chief… it’s exactly as you see.”
At that moment, a group of elves hurried towards Eve, still in the midst of battle. Recognizing the face of the leader at the front, Eve bitterly smiled and pointed at the disappearing corpses of the bugs.
“Demons intent on destroying this world have come. We must fight to survive.”
“Those monsters, sure, but what about these humans?!”
“That’s the same. They came to stop those monsters. Didn’t you see them fighting alongside us?”
In Luna, the leader’s trembling voice, Eve calmly explained about the Arin Tribe as if it were to be expected.
Eve herself knew little, but she was aware of the importance of her role.
‘I have to be the bridge.’
Not just Luna, but nearly every elf she would meet moving forward would react this way. Some would vehemently oppose it, while others would desire cooperation like herself.
Mediating this and uniting them as one made the role of elves like Eve extremely important.
“Please believe me. In this unprecedented situation where the demons from the outside are invading, we must do whatever it takes to protect our homeland and kin.”
“Can we really trust those humans?”
Fortunately, thanks to Eve’s sincere persuasion, unlike the chief of her hometown, Luna showed some understanding. Though still anxious, that was not a huge problem.
“I cannot give a definite answer, but this I can assure: they will certainly keep proving themselves going forward.”
Eve didn’t blindly trust the humans, but she believed in what they had shown through their actions. She also trusted the firm faith that Riena harbored.
She thought that such a being with strong belief would never betray them.
“For now, it seems best to stop here for today. There are still many left of them, and the ones we might have missed will join with the others. It’s more important to ensure safety since they might attack while everyone is tired.”
“Is this human the knight you spoke of, Eve?”
Having already given orders to the others, Riena approached them with determined strides. Startled, Luna recalled what Eve had described about Riena moments before and recognized her.
‘Truly, she’s an extraordinary human. She carries a purer aura than most of my kin, despite being a human.’
As a village chief, Luna possessed keen insight.
Thanks to Eve, she had somewhat set aside her biases and fears, allowing her to sense Riena’s aura of Celestial Blessing, a mystical and holy energy that was seldom seen by those capable of recognizing it.
“We appreciate your help in fighting those monsters, but we cannot leave our village that we have barely managed to protect.”
“This village is too dangerous to withstand their attacks. They will not give up and will keep pushing in, and the weary residents will never be able to protect the village.”
Riena urged Luna to leave the village for Eve’s village, which was currently undergoing fortification. Jun-young had already marked Eve’s village as the fortress nearest to the portal, and there was no choice but to make this decision since not every place could be fortified.
“But asking us to abandon our homeland…”
“It’s not to leave forever. It’s about temporarily evacuating, preparing ourselves, and reclaiming it later. We managed to reclaim our land in that manner as well.”
Realizing there was possibility, Riena began to persuade Luna more cautiously.
In fact, the enemies who seized the land were not the bugs, but the tribal raiders of the grasslands, yet the dwarves were also fighting alongside to reclaim their homeland, so it wasn’t an incorrect statement.
“There’s no other choice, I suppose.”
“Ch-Chief.”
Finally nodding to Riena’s persuasion, Luna let out a deep sigh. Some were shocked by such a decision, but Luna stepped forward to persuade them.
Thanks to that, though not everyone was convinced, it was decided unanimously that they would evacuate.
“Is it alright? You said it’s fine, but what about your village chief?”
“That person will gladly allow helping our kin.”
Eve smiled wryly, recalling the stern face of the chief, who seemed unlikely to change her mind. No matter how much she opposed the humans, she wouldn’t drive away kin who came to escape.
“Fortunately, it seems things are going well. Now let’s move quickly.”
Riena treated Luna with a semblance of courtesy. Following the directions of Riena and Luna, the humans and elves, who had just battled fiercely, packed their belongings and moved towards the neighboring village, where defense turrets and walls were being constructed.
“What on earth is this…”
Eve’s prediction was right. The chief could only mutter as she watched her kin flood in alongside the humans, unable to say a word.
“Did you hear the news?”
“No… it seems they don’t even have the capacity to receive my words.”
As the sun set in the evening, Eve approached the boy standing with a worried expression. At her words, the boy, who had his arm outstretched into the empty air, shook his head.
A faint breeze wrapped around that hand. The boy was an elf born with the ability to communicate through the wind spirits, but he had been continuously failing to communicate with others in different villages or cities.
Whether the issue was with the spirits or the receiver was unclear.
‘This is an undeniable problem that has befallen us all.’
Sighing, Eve bit her lip to console the boy. A sudden disaster arrived without any warning signs.
The enemies known as bugs showed no mercy, not even for the frail elderly or children, sparing no one. What they desired was singular: the extermination of all living beings.
It was a fact that those who fought against them could naturally understand, even if the Arin Tribe didn’t mention it.
‘We need strength.’
Eve had once been like a frog in a well. Until just a few days before, she too, like other elves, believed in their strength and the barbarity of the outside world passed down through generations.
However, that belief was a wrong one, and the result that proved it was this.
“What should we do now? We need to save others.”
“We will help. There’s definitely a way.”
At the boy’s words, Eve shifted her gaze. There were Arin Tribe people recovering the bodies of the fallen warriors.
They were different races with different appearances and ways of living, but at least they shared the same sorrow and mourning for the death of their kin.
Seeing that, Eve concluded that her previous thoughts about humans were all wrong.
“Many have fallen, and while mourning, is there really a reason for you all to fight those monsters, just for the sake of the guardian you believe in?”
“For that much, we have received a lot from them.”
Eve approached Riena and asked in a serious voice about the Guardian Deity.
It was unusual for an elf, who served the World Tree and ancestral spirits, to inquire about a god believed in by another race, but Riena had no clue.
“Before we met Him, we were nothing more than mere tribesmen without anything. I was the same.”
“We need strength as well. However… you might not understand. Perhaps you might accept it. Our elves cannot follow the guardian you believe in.”
“Well, that might not matter.”
Riena chuckled in response to Eve’s words. One thing she could definitely say was this.
The god she believed in wanted only one thing, and matters of faith and belief were secondary.
Even if the elves did not serve Him as a god, if they fought against the bugs at the forefront, He would not withhold His support from the elves.
Having experienced that firsthand by fighting alongside Him, she knew this to be true.
‘A belief that is forced is neither useful nor necessary. Those who receive His help will believe of their own accord.’
That was Riena’s conviction and at the same time, the conviction of the Arin Tribe.
Thanks to Riena’s actions and thoughts, holding the title of the first Paladin and the most trusted by the Guardian Deity, it greatly influenced others.
“If that is truly the case, then I too shall look forward to it. My desire to fight against those monsters is sincere.”
“If that is true, He will surely recognize you. That would be an easy task for Him.”
Eve made a firm resolution that she could gladly trust Him for the sake of her kin. Riena nodded without considering the truth of the matter. After all, the god she believed in had the authority to discern the truth.
“Has one finally appeared?”
It was indeed as Riena had expected. Eve’s determination, achieved through Riena’s persuasion and the upheaval of reality, turned her beliefs and values upside down, resulting in her body, previously in a neutral state, being marked with a green outline indicating she was an ally.
Seeing that from beyond the screen, the observer chuckled to himself and searched the internet files.
He wanted to give a fitting reward to Eve, who had trusted him and became the first elf tribe member to be incorporated into their ranks.
‘This is worth it. If I want to recruit more elves as complete allies.’
It was a method he had already utilized once on the past Chieftain Balun, proving its effectiveness. Materializing a downloaded file from the internet and gifting it.
This time, he chose a splendid bow carried by a game character.
Though it was merely a flashy bow without any special functions, giving it would still cost some points, but he regarded it as a worthy investment.